By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent
The decline of tourism in some of Britain's once thriving seaside towns has led to poverty and social breakdown, according to a report.
The Centre for Social Justice examined problems in Rhyl, Margate, Clacton-on-Sea, Blackpool and Great Yarmouth, and discovered almost £2bn a year was spent on welfare payments to people of working age in these towns alone.
At the peak of Blackpool's popularity in the 1950s it was attracting 17 million visitors a year.
Today cafes and shops along the promenade are boarded up, despite it being the peak of the summer season.
The report found the problems began in the 1970s when the advent of cheap package holidays made foreign travel an option for millions more families.
But as holidaymakers deserted towns like Blackpool, no new industry has taken the place of tourism.
It means many in the town are unemployed or underemployed.
Neil Parkinson who runs Robert's Oyster Bar on the sea front remembers how it used to be.
"They used to come by the train load into Blackpool North station and it was a busy, busy place but nowadays with tourism and flights and everything people can go abroad as cheap as they can come to Blackpool," he said.
The report found a lack of work has led to generations of joblessness and high rates of teenage pregnancy.
It has forced houses prices down which attracts people who are looking for cheap accommodation.
Chris Hargreave has lived in Blackpool all his life and owns a gift store on the promenade.
He told Sky News: "Lots of the hotels and guest houses nowadays have been turned into houses of multiple occupancy and therefore the people that are living in them aren't spending the money because they don't have the money.
"They're on benefits and they have no money to spend in the town."
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